Hold That Tiger

Epperly is slippery even when it doesn't rain

Princeton Tigers at Columbia Lions

Location: Robert K. Kraft Field at Wien Stadium

Kickoff Time: 12:30pm

Gametime Weather Forecast: 67 degrees, thunderstorms, chance of rain 80%

The Spread: Princeton is favored by 28 1/2 points.

Columbia Game Notes

Princeton Game Notes

TV/RADIO

The game will be broadcast live on the Ivy League Digital Network and will feature superior commentary from Jerry Recco and Sal Licata.

The Columbia student station broadcast is on WKCR at 89.9 on your FM dial.

Lead Stories/Questions

-Will Princeton continue to shake off the bad mojo from the week 1 loss at San Diego and prove they deserve that preseason pick to win the Ivies? 

-Can Columbia pick up its play and give the Tigers a fight after two blowout losses to start their season?

-Will the expected heavy rain play to anyone's advantage? 

Players to Watch 

COLUMBIA: QB Brett Nottingham has yet to put up impressive numbers in his two starts this season. Will this be the week against a seemingly beatable Princeton secondary? RB Cameron Molina had a decent outing at Albany last week, but he needs to give CU a chance against the stingy Tiger run D. Safeties Travis Reim, Kevin McCarthy. Brock Kenyon will be under extreme pressure to contain Princeton QB Quinn Epperly all day. 

PRINCETON: Epperly will be even more dangerous as a runner with a wet track. RB DiAndre Atwater's style of running also suits him in the rain. DB Anthony Gaffney will be a factor against the run and pass. 

Columbia 3 Keys to the Game

1) Get the Short Passing Going

Molina is a cutting RB, so the rainy weather might completely neutralize him as a runner. But as a receiver out of the backfield, he could make a nice dent. This would also be a nice game to start using the TE position to catch passes. 

2) Linebackers and Safeties have to Step up

Epperly and Atwater might be able to win this game on their own. Columbia's LB's need to play closer to the line of scrimmage and do something to stop the deluge. The safeties need to stop Epperly from turning the corner as a runner and picking apart the middle of the field as a passer.

3) Don't Let the Game Get too out of Hand

Princeton may be destined to win this game, but they don't need to win this one by 40 or 50. Another loss like that, and the Lions will be hard-pressed to recover and put up much of a fight the rest of the season. 

The Series 

This year I will have an added feature nodding to the history of Columbia football by talking about three key games in the series against every team.

Worst Game

For Columbia, there have been more gut-crunching losses to the Tigers than probably any other Ivy team. The worst in recent memory was the 27-26 OT loss in 2004. A facemask penalty during a sack on the Princeton QB helped keep a game-tying drive alive with about a minute left in the 4th quarter, and a missed extra point in OT sealed the Lions fate. 

Best Game 

Columbia's best team of the last 15 years was the 2009 squad, and it announced that it had arrived with a 38-0 blowout of the Tigers at Princeton Stadium. QB M.A. Olawale and WR Austin Knowlin had highlight reel games in that one. 

Typical Game

Four of the last five CU-Princeton games have been blowouts, but over the last 25 years this game has usually been close. And usually, Princeton pulls it out thanks to a late Columbia mistake. That was very evidence in the 2008 game at Wien Stadium, when CU appeared to be on a winning drive only for WR Mike Stephens to fumble the ball deep inside Tiger territory. Princeton held on to win, 27-24.